Multiple smooth elements bonded to a ground; novel tools and methods for surface improvement of metals and other materials

ABSTRACT

The Present Invention introduces novel methods and tools for improving the surfaces of metals and other flowable materials with smooth-surfaced tools, such as fibers and spheroids bonded to a ground. The new tools deform and compress rather than remove material, thereby increasing surface hardness, density, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, impermeability and corrosion resistance. Benefits include economies in production and maintenance, an improved work environment, and reduced costs for energy, stock materials and precious metal reclamation.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to surface treatment of objects by using multiplesmooth-surfaced elements bonded to a ground to compress material at highpoints on a workpiece into a material body, thus smoothing the surfacewithout removal of material, and additionally, according to tool designand use, remove surface material not by abrasion, or cutting, but byadhesion.

More particularly, most surface modification processes involve materialremoval by sanding or grinding, such that high points are removed untilthe whole of the surface is at the level of the low points prior tosmoothing. This is typically accomplished by using progressively-finergained cutting materials.

By comparison, the new tools accomplish surface improvement bydisplacing material at a surface, or removing it by dragging it from thesurface, i.e., by adhesion, in an orderly manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Surface Modification by Granular Cutters

Granular cutters, or abrasives, suitable for work ranging from heavygrinding to fine polishing, cut away the outermost atoms of a workpiecewith grains selected for their size, sharpness and hardness. Sinceerosion, or removal of material from the workpiece is inherent in theabrasive process, the manufacturer of the workpiece compensates for thematerial to be cut away by including additional material in the originalworkpiece. The eroded material is often reclaimed, especially formaterials of high value such as gold and silver, via costly,ecologically damaging processes.

The grains are incorporated into tools by processes such as:

-   -   Bonding to substrates such as paper, cloth, and plastic film        with a bonding medium, examples of these tools being abrasive        sheets, belts and disks;    -   Embedding in rigid materials to form tools such as grinding        wheels and sharpening stones;    -   Mixing into transferable matrices, or ‘compounds’, applied to        lathe mounted buffs;    -   Mixing into transferable creams and pastes;    -   Combining with water and/or other ingredients into a slurry for        tumbling, in which the work to be burnished is placed in        rotating barrels filled with a slurry of water and loose        abrasive grains.

Disadvantages of Surface Modification by Granular Cutters

Many applications of granular cutters, such as tool and weld grinding,purposely benefit from stock removal. However, granular cutters are usedfor many applications where erosion of the material is an unfortunateunnecessary byproduct especially regarding inherent reclamation costsand safety issues, examples being the tools' high speed, noise, dustgeneration and high energy use. Examples of processes with thesedisadvantages are polishing by manual or robotic lathes in which thelathes generally revolve at feed rates in excess of 200 M/m, andrepeated use of household metal polishing products which erode preciousmetals such as silver or gold along with details such as engraved namesand, in the case of plated objects, erosion of the precious metal filmthrough to the base metal, sometimes to the point of destroying theobject's structural integrity.

Concerning the ability of surfaces to resist microbial infestation as infood processing and hospital machining, while granular cutters appear tomake surfaces cleaner because they make them lustrous, they may alsoopen fissures beneath the surface which can harbor dangerous microbes.

Surface Modification by Burnishing

The term “burnishing”, despite its roots in antiquity, is useddifferently in various references. According to my present invention,“burnishing” refers to smoothing of a surface by moving molecules fromhigher points to lower points by pressing a smooth-surfaced tool againstthe surface with high local pressures while moving the tool with respectto the surface.

Burnishing in the Prior Art

FIG. 1 Hand burnishing is accomplished by the operator's hand forcingthe tool against the work, thereby compressing and reforming thematerial surface. Examples of hand burnishers are 101, an artist's handburnisher used by intaglio print makers, jewelers and otherhand-craftsmen; 102 a dentist's hand burnisher, used to smooth andcompress silver amalgam fillings; and 103, a gilder's hand burnisherused to work metal leaf. A limitation of the single tool process is thesmall surface area affected and the large amount of hand work necessaryto effect that area.

Single tool burnishing has been mechanized with CAD-CAM and roboticprocessing with a single tool burnisher, an expensive, highly technicalprocess suited to high production work, and high cost-low volume worksuch as scientific experimentation and military projects. See METHOD OFBURNISHING METAL PARTS U.S. Pat. No. 5,329,684.

FIG. 2 ROTARY BURNISHING TOOL U.S. Pat. No. 1,010,127 shows a machinedriven burnishing tool comprising of individual burnishing elements,e.g., ball bearings, retained in a “mechanically operated” tool.

Yet another burnishing process is by tumbling, by which small, hardsmooth spheroids or other shapes incorporated into a slurry are disposedin a rotating barrel. Tumbling is limited because of barrel sizeconstraints, and the fact that the workpiece's entire surface isindiscriminately burnished, which may not be the desired goal, for whichcostly engineering design of the workpiece must compensate, and becausethe process allows little worker control.

Pads for polishing wax and acrylic resins applied to floors, shoes andother objects are made of cotton, wool, polyester, horsehair and thelike, which are harder than the waxes and resins which they burnish.See_CLEANING AND BUFFING PRODUCT U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,121. These pads, incontext, are specifically for soft resin covered surfaces as describedabove, while the tools of my new invention apply to a wide variety ofmaterials including metals.

In other non-woven cleaning pads, where abrasives are not included inthe product, the cleaning process is by the removal of soft materialfrom a surface of material harder than the pad, not by burnishing. FromEP 0397374 B1 LOW DENSITY NONWOVEN FIBROUS SURFACE TREATING ARTICLE:

-   -   The suitability of the article for a particular application is        mainly determined by the abrasive character of the article.        Articles intended to be more abrasive will generally have        larger, harder, and/or a greater quantity of abrasive particles        adhered to the fibers. Articles intended to be used for        polishing and cleaning surfaces typically will have smaller,        softer, and/or fewer abrasive particles adhered to the fibers,        and in some cases may have no abrasive material at all.

Scratchers; Brushes, Bonnets and Buffs

Brushes for polishing wax and acrylic resins applied to floors, shoesand similar objects deform by each sharp fiber of the brush in whichfilaments are purposely at right angles to the workpiece surface, createa sharp groove in the workpiece surface. Made of natural or syntheticmaterials which are harder than the waxes and acrylics used for surfaceenhancement of wood, leather and similar materials. See POLISHING BUFFU.S. Pat. No. 4,149,294 (bold emphasis mine):

-   -   “A buffing pad wherein a layer of fabric has tufting material        stitched therein and extending outwardly from one side thereof”

Yet another example of the action by brushes are the bristles of wirebrushes.

FIG. 3 is from a photomicrograph of the working end of a steel brushbristle showing the sharp, cutting end at the right which cuts into asurface, creating a ‘brushed’ surface.

Uses of Fiberglass for Surface Improvement in the Prior Art

FIG. 4 In this figure from the prior art, ‘Fiberglass Scratch Brush U.S.Pat. No. 5,730,644, Blemish Repair Kit,’ the hardness and sharpness ofthe glass fibers 12 in the image, cut a surface similarly to metalbristle brush fibers, above.

FIG. 5 shows a fiberglass disk embedded with resin as described inFIBRE-GLASS BURNISHING WHEEL at the Franklin Institute (image made byme) in which the working edge of the disk is populated by end cutters1901 as described in the document's description:

-   -   “Grooves are cut in the thick edge of the wheel with a        carbide-tipped tool and it is in these grooves that the actual        grinding operation is done. The abrasive action is due to a        combination of the glass and high speed.”

In tools of my present invention, the sharp fiberglass ends do not touchthe work surface, the work being accomplished by the smoothness andhardness of the glass fibers sides.

Uses of Microspheres for Surface Improvement in the Prior Art

FIG. 6 is a copy of FIGS. 1 and 1A of U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,786 toPangburn for a NAIL TREATMENT METHOD. Pangburn employs glass beadsadhered to a substrate for the specific purpose of reforming fingernailsurfaces for better application of lacquers. Pangburn teaches rougheningthe surface of the nail, not smoothing it, and accordingly does notsuggest burnishing. In Pangburn, the glass beads are illustrated assharp grains rather than smooth spheroids.

Another example in the prior art which refers to smooth tools is SHAPINGMETALS EP 0642398 B1, which limits the context of the patentspecifically to the use of an ‘anti-lubricant,’ and the use of suchtools at high velocity—an entirely different concept than that of mypresent invention (emphasis mine):

-   -   The rubbing action of a wire brush will be concentrated at many        small contact points, such as a point on a bent wire surface or        at the tip of a wire. This will tend to leave a heavily        lined/grooved surface. However, if a small sphere is attached to        the tip of each wire, as shown in FIG. 5, then the resulting        surface finish is very smooth. If a number of spheres (29) made        of suitably hard material are joined to a central hub (30) via        flexible wires (301) and the whole assembly is then spun at high        velocity, like a wheel, then the arrangement can be used        effectively as a grinding wheel to machine hard surfaces        (31)—especially in the presence of an anti-lubricant in        accordance with the method of the invention.

Therefore, a need exists for a method to improve surface finishes thatis safer, simpler, cleaner and more economical than the processes now inuse. Abrasive finishing is complex, dirty, and expensive, and requiresthat the workpiece be designed to include material to be removed in thefinishing process.

In SHOT PEENING, U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,464 to Winter et al., andSPHEROIDAL PEENING PARTICLES ADHESIVELY BONDED TO A WOVEN CLOTH, U.S.Pat. No. 3,778,241 to Winter et al., a “flap wheel” comprising a numberof flaps of fabric embedded with hard spheroids is shown. When the wheelis rotated at high speed so that the flaps impact a workpiece, thespheroids act as tiny peening hammers. Burnishing is not mentioned.

Adhesion in the Prior Art

Adhesion between a tool and a workpiece is generally regarded asnegative. Galling is one such condition. This new invention's tools useadhesion as an advantage by controlling the rate and manner of surfacematerial removal by adhesion.

Definitions Related to the Invention Introduction

Abrasive treatments involve removal of material, while treating asurface with smooth tools modifies a surface by either deformingmaterial from high spots to lower spots on the surface, or removingmaterial by adhesion. However, since the results of these processesoften appear similar, the literature is ambiguous. Burnishing, which isan aspect of the present art, is commonly ambiguous, as is evident inBURNISHING TAPE FOR MAGNETIC DISKS U.S. Pat. No. 5,018,311; the methodinvolves “dispersing abrasive grains and a binder to prepare a slurry.”;In METHOD OF SMOOTHING A CONTAINER U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,529, the inventorsupplies his own definition of burnishing, which instead describes asilversmithing process correctly known as planishing. Yet another use ofthe term, ‘burnish,’ describes attaching decals to a surface, forinstance in applying stick-ons to boats. These tools are spatulas orrollers that one pushes against the stick-on to attach it to the boathull. There is no plastic deformation occurring. See, e,g, applicationIN-MOLD LABELS U.S. Ser. No. 12/802,625, which uses the term thus: “0040. . . The use of a burnishing tool (such as a rubber roller) helps toensure that the label is applied smoothly.”

Yet another use of the term ‘burnishing,’ is more correctly described asdrawing or rolling; from MEDICAL LEADS WITH SEGMENTED ELECTRODES ANDMETHODS OF FABRICATION THEREOF US 20100269338A1:

-   -   “ . . . FIG. 3B is a cross-section of a twisted wire . . . .        FIG. 3C is a cross-section of the twisted wire of FIG. 3B after        burnishing . . . the exterior surface of each wire may be        accomplished by burnishing the wire.”

As can be seen from review of these figures, outer circular wire strandsof a cable having a central strand are reformed so as to more closelyconform to the central wire and display a circular outer sectionalshape. This is not burnishing as used herein.

Certain floor and automobile paint and wax buffing steps, which use woolbonnets, fiber pads, and/or brushes to develop a high finish, aresometimes referred to as ‘burnishing.’ These processes operate by theapplication of additives which employ fine abrasive particles, and useadditives such as liquid polymers or waxes, that fill surface flaws.Furthermore, the tools drag the soft material along a surface ratherthan compressing in into the surface.

Abrasion and Adhesion

As with abrasion and deformation, abrasion and adherence may producesimilar finishes, as is evident is FIG. 26.

Finding the common definitions inadequate to describe my presentinvention, the definitions below combine the common definitions, initalics, with my own comments.

Definitions Burnish

As used herein, to “burnish” means to deform a surface by plasticdeformation with a smooth-surfaced tool of a material harder than theworkpiece, the dimension of the tool being larger than the distancebetween adjacent high points on a surface, so that the material of thesurface is moved from high points to lower points, thereby smoothing thesurface without cutting or scraping it away. In the process, surfacetensile stresses remaining after initial fabrication of the workpiecemay be replaced with compressive forces, which is generally beneficialto parts that are repetitively stressed in service.

This definition is consonant with that from Webster's Revised UnabridgedDictionary: To cause to shine; to make smooth and bright; to polish;specifically, to polish by rubbing with something hard and smooth.

An excellent general description of burnishing, consonant with that usedherein, is found in METHOD OF BURNISHING METAL PARTS U.S. Pat. No.5,329,684, which teaches a single tool burnisher.

-   -   It should be recalled that burnishing is a technique that        performs surface plastic deformation by pressing a rotary or        sliding tool against the surface of a part. As it moves, the        tool compresses the microscopic peaks in the surfaces concerned        into the adjacent hollows, thereby enabling said surfaces to be        densified.    -   Burnishing thus serves simultaneously to smooth surfaces and to        put such surfaces into compression. The resulting mechanical        forces, both on the surface and down to a certain depth, enable        the lifetime of materials and structures that are subjected to        cyclic changes (fatigue) or to contact corrosion to be        considerably increased. This technique appears to be even more        effective than shot blasting for obtaining surface compression        stress, and it very considerably increases fatigue life,        resistance to corrosion under tension, and resistance to the        effect of corrosion due to rubbing. (col. 1, lines 14-32)

FIG. 7 Burnishing, one basic principle of the present invention, isgraphically described in this figure—a conceptual cross sectionillustrating the process of altering a surface by plastic deformation.Prior to treatment, a workpiece 701 exhibits asperities 702 on thesurface, for example, tool marks remaining after a machining operation.A smooth-surfaced tool 703 is urged against the workpiece withsignificant force as indicated at 704, while being moved along thesurface as indicated at 705.

As smooth tool 703 is urged against and moved along the surface, theforce exerted by the tool 703 on the asperities 702, as indicated byarrows 707, causes the asperities 702 to be pressed into the worksurface by plastic deformation; forces indicated by arrows 708 aretransferred into the workpiece as indicated at 709, resulting in thesmoothed area after work as shown at 710. It is important to understandthat materials which flow, such as ductile metals, allow the material ofthe asperities to flow into the workpiece mass, so that the material ofthe asperities or high spots flows into the adjoining low spots,effectively smoothing the surface.

Thus, one aspect of the invention comprises a method of smoothing thesurface of a given object exhibiting asperities by plastic deformation,the method first comprising the step of making a tool by affixing aplurality of smooth-surfaced members of a material harder than thematerial of the surface of the object to a substrate, and then urgingthe smooth-surfaced members against the asperities on that surface withsubstantial local pressure, and simultaneously moving the tool withrespect to the surface, so that the asperities are reduced, and thesurface is smoothed, by plastic deformation. At the same time, thesurface may be compressed to a degree by force exerted on the atoms ofthe surface by the smooth-surfaced members.

Burnisher

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary: ‘Burnisher: A tool with ahard, smooth, rounded end or surface, as of steel, ivory, or agate, usedin smoothing or polishing by rubbing.’ For the purposes of my presentinvention, the material of which a burnishing tool is made need only beharder and smoother than the workpiece, e.g., soft wood can be burnishedwith a burnisher made of harder wood.

Burnishing Compound

An embodiment of my present invention similar to abrasive polishingcompound, but with the grease binder combined with burnishing elementsin the place of abrasives. During use, high local pressure is effectedas the workpiece is pressed against a buff, which may vary considerablyin hardness.

Composite Tools

Tools of my present invention in which the functions and/or structuresof the binder and ground are served by a single material such as in theComposite Wheel of FIGS. 95-7 wherein the resin serves as binder andground.

Controlled Adhesion

Yet another principle of the present invention involves material removalby adhesion between smooth elements and a workpiece, by urging the toolagainst the workpiece at a combination of pressure and speed sufficientto drag material from the surface in a predictable, orderly manner as inFIG. 99B, and as distinguished from galling, which removes metal from asurface irregularly, as a result of mechanical breakdown. The controlledadhesion method is also distinguished from cutting material from thesurface as with an edge tool or abrasive medium.

The action described here above is a function of the amount of frictionbetween the workpiece and the tool in FIG. 7, 703 at the interface 706,by the materials of which the tool and the workpiece are made, and thepresence of lubricants, which may or may not be used.

Significantly, the function of friction in the new tools determines thenew tools' two abilities; plastic deformation and controlled adhesion.Extremely low friction results in the tool gliding across a workpiecewith the force 704 predominant, resulting in maximum deformation withminimal removal of material by adhesion. Conversely, extremely highfriction results in asperities being mostly dragged from a surface byadhesion, with minimal deformation by the forward movement of the tool705. Thus, by controlling for the level of friction between the tool andthe work, the amount of deformation and adhesion is controlled.

Fiber/Fabric

Any contiguous thread-like material, grouping of thread-like materialssuch as woven fabric or metal screening. In comparison, a grain orspheroid would be discontiguous.

Examples of fibers and fabrics useful in connection with presentinvention include the following:

FIG. 8 shows a fabric of smooth non-woven glass fibers; Manniglas 1900by Lydall Corporation.

FIG. 9 is from a photomicrograph of Manniglas 1900. Note the glossy,smooth edges of the fibers which, when incorporated into tools of mypresent invention, operate as burnishers.

FIG. 10 is from a photomicrograph of carbon fibers. Note the smallerdiameter of the fibers relative to the fibers of Manniglas 1900, whichare shown at the same magnification in FIG. 10.

FIG. 11 shows a piece of fiberglass insulation, another non-woven fibermade of smooth non-woven glass fibers that is usable for burnishing.

Yet another type of fiber by my definition is ERG Duocel® foam, anexample of open cell foams.

A variation of this type of fiber is the non-woven 3M abrasive pad madeof fibers combined with abrasive grains. The same fiber pad, whenembedded with media of my present invention could operate as aburnishing tool.

FIG. 12 shows a variety of perforated, embossed and expanded metalsheets that present multiple smooth faces to the workpiece and which canbe used as media for the new tools.

FIG. 13 shows a cross section of a woven fabric 1301 based on an imagefrom cicboats.com. The arrows 1302 show the outermost fiber surfaces,which act as burnishers as they come in contact with a workpiece.

FIG. 14 is from a photomicrograph of a metal screen with the high pointsof the fibers 1302 usable as media in tools of the present invention.

Flap Peening

From the ‘3M Roto Peen Catalog,’ flap peening is described as “For smalland/or hard-to-reach surfaces, the captive shot method is moreconvenient and effective. The shot is integrated into a rotating brushor flap. The spinning brush or flap is held near the surface so that thecaptive shot strikes the metal surface with each revolution.”

FIG. 15 shows a sample parcel 3001 made of 0.013″ brass having bentreated with the 3M Roto Peen Flap Assembly TC 330 3M. Since thespheroids in the flap peening process recoil from the point of impact,pressure is instantly released from the surface, no surface smoothinghas occurred, and the processed workpiece shown here appears to havebeen peened with a tiny hammer. Another tool applying the principle ofFlap Peening is from U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,189 High-intensity roto peenflaps, the description of which states: “Used for cleaning andde-scaling steel and concrete. A cleaner, cost-effective alternative toblasting.”

Grind

For the purposes of my present invention, grinding means the cuttingaway of material from a surface by relatively coarse abrasive grainsadhered to one another, compared to ‘polishing’ which is the cuttingaway of material from a surface, with relatively fine grains.

Ground

(noun, as distinct from the past participle of the verb, ‘grind.’) From:thefreedictionary.com/ground: ‘10. (Art Terms): b. the support of apainting.’ For the purpose of my invention, the ground is the materialto which the multiple smooth elements are attached by a bonding medium.Grounds for media of the new tools include grounds of various rigiditiescommon in the prior art now used for abrasive grains, examples being;papers, meshes, woven and non-woven fabrics, resin impregnated fabrics,felts, polymer films and foams, polishing cloths and plated rigid planesof various materials.

Polish

Since the definition of ‘friction’ and ‘burnish’ are themselvesconfusing, I shall only use the word ‘polish’ in prior art references tofine abrasive stock removal.

Scratch

From: oxforddictionaries.com: Score or mark the surface of (something)with a sharp or pointed object. For the purposes of my presentinvention, scratching is a type of surface deformation whereby materialis removed by cutting, abrasion being cutting by many small, sharpgouges.

An example of the ambiguity between the terms, ‘polish,’ and ‘scratch,’is this excerpt from the definition of ‘polish’:

-   -   From Google Books: Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering, A        Weekly Technical Newspaper, Being the Incorporation of        Electrochemical and Metallurgical Industry and Iron and Steel        Magazine Volume IV, Jan. 1 to Jun. 30, 1921 NEW YORK McGRAW-HILL        COMPANY, INC.:        -   Polishing . . . It is the cutting action of the wire ends            that cleans, not the rubbing with the sides of the bristles.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The Present Invention introduces novel methods and tools for surfacetreatment of metals and other flowable materials with smooth fibers andspheroids bonded to a ground. Rather than removing material as done byabrasives, the new tools deform and compress material, resulting inincreased surface hardness, density, reflectivity, electricalconductivity, impermeability and corrosion resistance. Since the newtools produce negligible waste and can operate at dramatically slowerspeeds, I foresee that the workplace environment will be quieter,cleaner, brighter and safer, and that other benefits will includeeconomies in production and maintenance, as well as reduced costs forenergy, stock, and precious metal reclamation.

The media of the invention can be of any smooth material harder than thematerial of the surface of the intended workpiece. Fiberglass, glassbeads, carbon fiber, ceramics, steel, and carbide are among the mostuniversally effective media.

Many of the tool forms of the present invention are similar to thoseproduced in the prior art employing abrasives, such as films, belts,discs, cylinders, wheels, flap wheels and brushes; polishing, cuttingand grinding compounds; non-woven pads such as 3M pads; 3MMicrofinishing Films and Micron Sheets; Micromesh™ foam-backed cloth;metal wools, and others.

In contrast with abrasives, which depend on erosion by fragmentation ofthe tools' abrasive grains to expose new sharp edges to the workpiece,tools of the present invention do not erode, thereby retaining theiroriginal forms, allowing the new tools to be customized with specificshapes for specific operations.

In assembly lines, I foresee that the cleanliness and flexibility of thenew tools will allow finishing and detailing to occur in the line ratherthan in separate costly facilities expressly created for the abatementof danger, dirt and noise, and that surface improvement usually doneaway from the production line by noisy, dirty shot peening, orinadequately done by roto peening, is now possible in the line ofproduction with one clean operation.

During the production of my prototypes I observed that, due to thesmoothness surface of the media, lathe tools, saws and knives did notbecome dulled while shaping the prototypes, leading me to conclude thatmanufacture of the new tools uses less energy and extends the life ofproduction machinery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 Prior Art: Three traditional burnishing tools.

FIG. 2 Prior Art: A drawing from ROTARY BURNISHING TOOL U.S. Pat. No.1,010,127.

FIG. 3 Prior Art: From a photomicrograph of one steel brush fiber ofFIG. 14 showing the sharp, cutting end.

FIG. 4 Prior Art: A drawing from Fiberglass Scratch Brush, taught byU.S. Pat. No. 5,730,644, Blemish Repair Kit, which uses sharp ends ofglass fibers for abrading a surface.

FIG. 5 Prior Art: A fiberglass disk embedded with resin as described inFIBRE-GLASS BURNISHING WHEEL at the Franklin Institute (image made byme). The cut ends at the disk's outer margin 501 abrade a surface.

FIG. 6 Prior Art: A drawing from Pangburn U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,786, 1994.

FIG. 7: A conceptual cross section of the smoothing process according tothe invention.

FIG. 8 Prior Art: Manniglas® 1900 Non-woven Glass-fiber.

FIG. 9 Prior Art: From a Photomicrograph of non-woven glass fibersshowing that the fibers are smooth.

FIG. 10 Prior Art: From a Photomicrograph of carbon fibers showing thatthe fibers are smooth.

FIG. 11 Prior Art: Non-woven fiberglass batting.

FIG. 12: Examples of perforated metal sheet.

FIG. 13: Cross section of woven fibers.

FIG. 14: Closeup view of stainless steel mesh.

FIG. 15: From a photomicrograph of flap peened parcel.

FIG. 16: From a photomicrograph of a parcel to be processed with acompound containing glass spheroids, before work showing intersection ofscribed lines 1601.

FIG. 17: From a photomicrographic closeup of FIG. 16 showingintersection of scribed lines.

FIG. 18: Deforming the parcel of FIG. 47 with the compound containingglass spheroids.

FIG. 19: The parcel of FIG. 16 showing intersection of scribed linesprocessed with the compound containing glass spheroids, after work.

FIG. 20: From a photomicrograph of FIG. 20.

FIG. 21: From a photomicrograph of a parcel to be processed withstandard polishing compound containing abrasive grains before work.

FIG. 22: From a photomicrograph of the parcel of FIG. 22 processed withpolishing compound containing standard abrasive grains after work.

FIG. 23: Closeup of FIG. 23 showing intersection of scribed lines.

FIG. 24: View of brass 5 cm ø tube section with bead-blasted raw stock.

FIG. 25: Finish achieved on the tube section of FIG. 24 with an EVA diskwith fiberglass cloth media.

FIG. 26: Finishes on a stainless steel parcel produced by a wheelcomprised of smooth glass microbeads compared with the stainless steelsurface of a Kenmore ELITE refrigerator produced by standard abrasives.

FIG. 27: Expandable drum spring coil tool with coiled steel media on aflexible core.

FIG. 28: An Almen strip type parcel being deformed perpendicular to thestrip's length.

FIG. 29: An Almen strip type parcel being deformed parallel to thestrip's length.

FIG. 30: An Almen strip type parcel held in a steel support being flappeened on a lathe.

FIG. 31: Comparison of parcels 2801, 2901 and 3001.

FIG. 32: From a photomicrograph of the pre-treated surface of parcel2901.

FIG. 33: From a photomicrograph of the treated surface of parcel 2901.

FIG. 34: The Expandable Drum Spring Coil treating a pipe interior.

FIG. 35: Interior of a pipe with a failure near a joint.

FIG. 36: side view of the same failed pipe with failure.

FIG. 37: Cross section of a pipe interior with fissures.

FIG. 38: A computer simulation based on the image of FIG. 37approximating the condition of the fissures treated with a tool of thepresent invention.

FIG. 39: A prototype tool comprised of a wheel with a coiled spring asthe medium.

FIG. 40: Bead blasted brass casting with oxidized surface.

FIG. 41: Smooth media of various profiles.

FIG. 42: An element from a decorative brass candelabra part.

FIG. 43: The element from a decorative brass candelabra part beingtreated with a burr with fiberglass media.

FIG. 44: The assembled decorative brass candelabra part after treatment.

FIG. 45: Tooling of the present invention being used to treat the ruston a sanding machine platen.

FIG. 46: From a photomicrograph of the FIG. 46 tool surface after use.

FIG. 47: A tool formed by adhering a sheet of fiberglass fabric to afoam ground.

FIG. 48: A parcel treated with the tool of FIG. 47.

FIG. 49: A prototype comprised of woven carbon fiber fabric on a sheetof EVA foam.

FIG. 50: A tool formed by adhering a sheet of metal screen mesh to aground.

FIG. 51: Edge view of a tool with woven fiberglass fabric as both mediumand ground.

FIG. 52: Wire mesh tool with wrapped edges.

FIG. 53: A tool made of fiberglass building insulation impregnated withresin.

FIG. 54: Rotary tools comprised of spirals.

FIG. 55: Three tools comprised of woven carbon fiber mounted on EVA foamsheet at different angles.

FIG. 56: A brass tube divided into swatch segments.

FIG. 57: The brass tube of FIG. 56 being rotated on a lathe beingtreated with woven carbon fiber tools.

FIG. 58: The effects of the three tools of FIG. 55 on the brass tube ofFIG. 56.

FIG. 59: Results of the three tools of FIG. 56.

FIG. 60: 1 mm glass beads embedded in acrylic binder on a ground.

FIG. 61: From a photomicrograph of FIG. 60.

FIG. 62: From a photomicrographic edge view of a tool comprised ofmultiple layers of glass beads on a fabric ground.

FIG. 63: A frying pan before using tool 6201 to remove burnt food.

FIG. 64: The pan of FIG. 63 after treatment with the multi-layer smoothtool.

FIG. 65: A chamois cloth with spheroidal media.

FIG. 66: From a photomicrograph of the glass microbeads bound to thechamois cloth of FIG. 65.

FIG. 67: A wheel type tool prototype comprised of EVA foam surfaced withglass microbead media.

FIG. 68: Closeup surface view of the wheel tool of EVA foam surfacedwith glass microbead media.

FIG. 69: A prototype sponge with spheroids.

FIG. 70: From a photomicrograph of the sponge of FIG. 69's surface.

FIG. 71: An oscillating tool with a tool of the present invention.

FIG. 72: A fibrous tool of stainless steel mesh.

FIG. 73: A fibrous stainless steel mesh tool permanently integrated intoto a standard oscillating tool backup pad.

FIG. 74: The oscillating tool pad of FIG. 73 being used to remove agedresinous finish.

FIG. 75: The wood surface of FIG. 74 with the aged varnish removed.

FIG. 76: A prototype spindle mounted wheel comprised of a wheel-formground and woven fiberglass media.

FIG. 77: shows a cross section of a flexible edged disk.

FIG. 78: shows a prototype of the face of a PSA disk made of glass beadmedia.

FIG. 79: From a photomicrograph side section view of PSA disk of FIG.78.

FIG. 80: A disk comprised of a semi-rigid, fiber reinforced disk withfiberglass media.

FIG. 81: A replaceable shell of the new invention with a backup wheel.

FIG. 82: A burr of the new invention.

FIG. 83: Another burr of the new invention.

FIG. 84: A burr of the new invention being used to burnish the innerbowl of a silver spoon.

FIG. 85: The spoon of FIG. 85 after processing with a new burr.

FIG. 86: A contoured wheel of the new invention mounted in a lathechuck.

FIG. 87: A reversible contoured wheel with woven fiberglass media.

FIG. 88: The reversible contoured wheel of FIG. 87 from the lathe chuckside.

FIG. 89: The reversible contoured wheel of FIG. 87 with the wheelreversed on the arbor.

FIG. 90: A felt lapping wheel comprised of smooth media of the newinvention on a lathe.

FIG. 91: A mill finish brass parcel finished with the lapping wheel ofFIG. 90 showing the finished surface section.

FIG. 92: A wheel or buff comprised of flexible smooth media.

FIG. 93: A wheel comprised of EVA foam with metal mesh medium.

FIG. 94: A cross section of an Expandable Smooth Tool Drive Mechanism.

FIG. 95: A prototype composite wheel made of epoxy and spheroids, with atest parcel.

FIG. 96: A side view of the prototype composite wheel of FIG. 95.

FIG. 97: From a photomicrograph of the surface of the prototypecomposite wheel of FIG. 95.

FIG. 98: From a photomicrograph of a parcel before treatment with thecomposite wheel of FIG. 95.

FIG. 99A: From a photomicrograph of the parcel of FIG. 98 aftertreatment with the composite wheel of FIG. 95.

FIG. 99B: From a photomicrograph of waste water lubricant containing thematerial removed by Controlled Adhesion from the parcel of FIG. 99A.

FIG. 100: A section of a belt comprised of a flexible, or non-flexible,fabric or film ground with parcels comprised of a matrix with multipleembedded smooth media.

FIG. 101: An acrylic foam block with glass bead media.

FIG. 102: A magnified view of the acrylic foam block with glass beadmedia.

FIG. 103: From a photomicrograph of the acrylic foam block with glassbead media showing the individual glass media and acrylic binder.

FIG. 104: A scrub brush of the prior art with bristle tips of smoothmedia.

FIG. 105: A detail of the scrub brush of the prior art with bristle tipsof smooth media.

FIG. 106: From a photomicrograph of the scrub brush of the prior artwith bristle tips of smooth media.

FIG. 107: Grouped smooth ended bristles of a metal work brush.

FIG. 108: From a photomicrograph of a smooth ended bristle of a metalwork brush.

FIG. 109: A brush back with embedded glass fibers with spheroidal ends.

FIG. 110: shows a brush configuration common in the prior art comprisedof a handle and ferrule, but with fibers comprised of spheroidal ends.

FIG. 111: A spheroid attached to a rod, fiber or bristle with a matrix,or tool holder.

FIG. 112: A prototype smooth media compound.

FIG. 113: From a photomicrograph of the prototype smooth media compound.

FIG. 114: A test object before treatment with slurry comprised of smoothmedia on a glove.

FIG. 115: Burnishing with slurry comprised of smooth media on a glove.

FIG. 116: A glove after being used with standard metal polish, withcharacteristic black residue comprised of silver metal abraded, anderoded from, the test object's surface.

FIG. 117: A tool made with a felt covered stick wrapped with beadedchain smooth media.

FIG. 118: A composite wheel made of assembled lamina, a single laminaand a side view of one possible form at a lamina's outer margin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Surfaces Produced by the New Tools

The basic principle of my novel method of finishing surfaces is the useof tools comprised of smooth elements bonded to a ground urged againstand moved along a workpiece surface to smooth asperities in the surfaceby plastic deformation. The structure of the tools and mechanismsemployed to move the tool with respect to the surface of the workpieceare generally similar to abrasive papers, belts, discs and wheels of theprior art. However, the new tools produce surfaces that are notachievable with those tools of the prior art.

The functions of the invention's three elements—smooth media, binder andground—can be performed by separate materials, or materials that areable to serve two or all three of the functions. One example of materialserving multiple functions is fiberglass cloth, which can act as both asmooth medium and ground.

A variety of finishes are achieved by varying the tools' speed andpressure. The new finishes can replace current finishes achieved in theprior art by abrasives, and also contribute a series of new, previouslyunachievable, finishes. While the tool forms which follow are comprisedwith one type of smooth media, the forms are manufacturable with avariety of smooth media made of any material harder than the intendedworkpiece, and attached to the ground in any useful manner.

To recall, the present invention's basic principle is graphicallydescribed in FIG. 7, which is a conceptual cross section illustratingthe process of altering a surface by plastic deformation. Prior totreatment, a workpiece 701 exhibits asperities 702 on the surface, forexample, with tool marks remaining after a machining operation. Asmooth-surfaced tool 703 is urged against the workpiece with significantforce as indicated at 704, while being moved along the surface asindicated at 705.

As smooth tool 703 is urged against and moved along the surface, theforce exerted by the tool 703 on the asperities 702, as indicated byarrows 707, causes the asperities 702 to be pressed into the worksurface by plastic deformation. Forces indicated by arrows 708 aretransferred into the workpiece as indicated at 709, resulting in thesmoothed area after work as shown at 710. It is important to understandthat materials which flow, such as ductile metals, allow the material ofthe asperities to flow into the workpiece mass, so that the material ofthe asperities or high spots flows into the adjoining low spots,effectively smoothing the surface.

Significantly, the friction between the workpiece and the tool 703 atthe interface 706 is intentionally minimized compared to abrasives, forwhich friction at the interface is intentionally maximized. According todesign, lubricants may or may not be used to control friction at theinterface 706.

Thus, the invention comprises a method of smoothing a surface of a givenobject exhibiting asperities by plastic deformation, the method firstcomprising the step of making a tool by affixing a plurality ofsmooth-surfaced members of a material harder than the material of thesurface of the intended work object to a substrate, and then urging thesmooth-surfaced members against the asperities on that surface withsubstantial local pressure, and simultaneously moving the tool withrespect to the surface, so that the asperities are reduced, and thesurface is smoothed, by plastic deformation. At the same time, thesurface may be compressed to a degree by force exerted on the atoms ofthe surface by the smooth-surfaced members.

FIGS. 16 through 23 demonstrate of the new tools' ability to createreflective surfaces without removing design details.

FIG. 16 shows a parcel, before processing as shown in FIG. 19, of millfinished copper with intersecting lines scored with a pointed tool at1701.

FIG. 17 is from a photomicrograph of the pre-processed lines'intersection 1701.

FIG. 18 shows the parcel of FIGS. 17 and 18 being burnished on a lathewith compound containing smooth media.

FIG. 19 shows the results of the burnishing process; a smoothed surfacewith no loss of detailing at the lines' intersection 1701.

FIG. 20 is from a photomicrograph of the burnished parcel at the lines'intersection 1701. Note that my current invention has burnished themetal surface of the parcel and improved the definition of the scratchesat the intersection by removing loosely adherent burrs while not erodingthe edges of the lines.

FIG. 21 shows, for comparison, a parcel before processing with standardabrasive compounds, of mill finished copper with intersecting lines 2201scored with a pointed tool.

FIG. 22 is the parcel of FIG. 22 after polishing at 3450 RPM with WhiteDiamond and then Black Rouge abrasive compounds. The effects of erosionon the definition of the scratches compared to my present invention inFIGS. 20-21 is clear. Note the intersections at 2201.

FIG. 23 is from a photomicrograph of the polished parcel of FIG. 22 atthe intersecting lines 2201 in which the vertical line is largelyobliterated compared to the similar line in FIGS. 20 and 21 which isfinished with the new compound of the invention. It is apparent that useof the method of the invention provides advantages with respect toconventional finishing techniques; the compound of the new invention hasimproved the surface while preserving the scored lines, which inpractice would be logos and texts inserted into the metal beforefinishing.

FIGS. 24 and 25 demonstrate the ability of smooth sided flexibleburnishing tools to create new types of finishes which approximatesurface finishes heavily used in industry in the prior art, but withoutstock removal.

FIG. 24 shows the raw finish produced on a brass 5 cm 0 tube section bybead-blasting @80 psi with #6 glass beads.

FIG. 25 shows the finish achieved on the section of FIG. 52 with an EVAdisk with fiberglass cloth media according to the invention @490M/min.

FIG. 26 shows a comparison of finishes produced by a wheel according tothe invention comprised of glass microbeads on a stainless steel parcel,and the finish on a Kenmore ELITE stainless steel refrigerator case.View A shows the stainless steel parcel being worked with the wheel. Bshows the face of the parcel after work with the new wheel. C is acloseup of the surface produced by the new wheel in A and B. D shows theexisting surface of the Kenmore ELITE refrigerator revealing that asimilar finish has been produced by the new tool, but with little or nowaste byproduct and a more compact work surface.

Burnishing to Improve Metal Structure

Surfaces worked with tools of my present invention are improvedsimilarly to surfaces created by peening in the prior art, e.g., thereplacement of tensile stress in metal with compressive forces. However,since my new tools operate by moving along a surface under high localpressure rather the textured surface generated by roto-peening shown inFIG. 16, my new tools create a burnished worked surface with superiorqualities.

In FIGS. 27 to 32, parcels 2901, 3001, and 3101 were made of 0.013″brass cut to the same size as standard Almen strips as used to evaluatethe amount of peening provided in a standard peeing operation; seeWinter et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,241. Each strip was worked for oneminute by hand. The resultant structural qualities and surfaceappearance depends upon the pattern of the media comprising theburnishing tool.

FIG. 27 shows an expandable drum spring coil tool according to theinvention. This design takes advantages of the expandability of coils2801 to operate in pipes and holes, and the flexibility of the tool core2802 in adapting to workpiece contours. The core in this prototype is ofa polymer foam which is part of a holder for abrasive cylinders of theprior art. However, the expandable drum may be comprised of othermaterials and methods.

FIG. 28 shows an Almen strip type parcel held in a steel support beingburnished perpendicular to the strip's length 2901 with the tool of FIG.28 on a lathe turning at 2450 RPM.

FIG. 29 shows an Almen strip type parcel held in a steel support beingburnished parallel to the strip's length 3001 with the tool of FIG. 28on a lathe turning at 2450 RPM.

FIG. 30 shows an Almen strip type parcel 3101 held in a steel support,being flap peened on a lathe at 3450 RPM. The flap peeing device is a 3MRoto Peen Flap Assembly.

FIG. 31 compares parcels 2901, 3001, and 3101. Parcel 2901 shows thatburnishing perpendicular to the strip's length results in a convex arch,indicating selective stress modification predominantly along the axis ofthe strip perpendicular to the strip's length. Parcel 3001 shows that aconcave arch results from burnishing parallel to the length of thestrip, indicating selective stress modification predominantly parallelto the length of the strip. Parcel 3101 shows that flap peening with the3M Roto Peen Flap Assembly results in a pillow form indicating stressmodification of the strip in all directions relative to the length ofthe strip. Burnishing provides the option of applying stress reliefselectively to a workpiece by controlling for the direction of theburnishing process.

Regarding fluid flow, the surface texture created by flap peeningcreates resistance, while burnishing produces a surface with improvedfluid flow, contributing to the maintenance of oil and gas wells, highpressure steam and gas turbines, nuclear reactors and other systemswhere optimal fluid flow is critical. As an example, the followingarticle in the EJoumal of Advanced Maintenance site;jsm.or.jp/ejam/Vol.2.No.2/GA/13/article, which is concerned with themost advanced reactor maintenance processes, now addresses PWSCC(Primary Water Stress Corrosion Cracking) with existing peeningtechnologies. My Present Invention is a substantial contribution totheir processing options.

The effectiveness of my new invention in improving fluid flow is shownin the following two images:

FIG. 32 is from a photomicrograph of the pre-treated surface of parcel3001.

FIG. 33 is from a photomicrograph of the treated surface of parcel 3001on which burnishing has been done parallel to the direction of work,resulting in a smooth surface—an improvement in fluid flow quality overthe textured flap peened surface of parcel 3101.

Improved Cleanliness in the Medical and Food Industries

Tools of my present invention close fissures in surfaces, making themmore impervious to organic foreign matter ripe for contamination bymicroorganisms in, for example, food and hospital machinery.

Currently, the recommended procedure for finishing in the medical andfood industries is the #4 Dairy or Sanitary Finish:

From ofrmetals.com:

-   -   ‘Great care should be taken in removing the surface defects in        the metal, like pits, that could allow bacteria to grow. #4        Dairy or Sanitary Finish, which is commonly used for the medical        and food industry and almost exclusively used on stainless        steel. This finish demands great care in removing surface        defects like pits, that could allow bacterial growth.’ and, ‘a        #4 Dairy or Sanitary Finish is produced by polishing with a        180-240 grit belt or wheel finish softened with 120-240 grit        greaseless compound or a fine non-woven abrasive belt or pad.’

Despite the above recommendation, it is my opinion that the traditionalabrasives described above do not seal pits that harbor microorganisms.While cutting away the surface material may remove shallow pits, thematerial removal also may expose fissures that lurk deeper in the metalbody, exacerbating the opportunity for infestation.

Burnishing for Pipes and Tubes

My Present Invention improves the production of pipes by burnishing andcompressing their inner surfaces rather than, as happens during abrasivepolishing, removing the surface material and therefore exposingsubsurface pores. Burnishing also improves the quality of the welds usedto join pipe sections by reducing stress in the weld zone. Duringmaintenance, burnishing cleans and smooths a pipe in the same actionwhile simultaneously reducing porosity, thereby retarding corrosion andmicrobial infestation, thereby extending the effective maintenanceinterval. Peening, which also reduces surface pores, creates a rough,flow-resistant surface, while burnishing reduces surface pores whilecreating a smooth surface with improved flow qualities.

FIG. 34 shows the Peenburnishing tool of FIG. 28 being used to maintaina pipe interior. Area 3501 has been processed with the tool,

FIG. 35 shows the interior of a failed pipe near a joint. 6701 is thecrack.

FIG. 36 shows a side view of the same failed pipe. 6701 is the crack.

FIG. 37 shows a cross section with fissures 3801 from METALLURGICALTECHNOLOGIES, INC., P.A. at: met-tech.com/preheater-tube-failure, of apipe interior:

-   -   ‘The 316Ti stainless steel tube cracked by transgranular stress        corrosion cracking due to the presence of sulfur and chlorine in        a moist environment at elevated temperatures.’

It is my opinion that manufacturing and maintaining the pipes in FIGS.35, 36 and 37 with tools of the new invention reduces the fissures andthe consequent corrosion and structural collapse.

FIG. 38 is a computer simulation by me, based on FIG. 37, of what thiscross section might have looked like at the same point in its life, hadthe part been treated with the new tooling. The fissures 3901 would havebeen eliminated during manufacture or reduced with maintenance.

Burnishing for Cast Metal Finishing

Porosity in metal castings is an inherent vice. Standard abrasivegrinding and polishing creates a finish that erroneously implies thatpores have been reduced or eliminated. To the contrary, sub-surfacevoids are actually opened, exposing the cast's interior to invasion bychemical or organic elements. In contrast, treatment withs the newtooling according to the invention creates an improved surface whilereducing or closing the pores, isolating the casting's interior voidsfrom the outside environment.

FIG. 39 shows a prototype tool comprised of a wheel 3901 with a coiledspring 3902 operating as the medium—useful for general surface smoothingby burnishing. While this prototype is made with the media at the wheelcircumference, media may optionally be arrayed on any face of the wheel,and the wheel may be of any profile, as I discuss in the section oncontoured tooling, below.

FIG. 40 shows a 15 cm long bead blasted brass casting with oxidizedsurface. The right side 4101 is the raw casting with naturally occurringoxides. The left side 4102 is finished with the coiled spring burnisherof FIG. 27. Some of the brittle surface oxides were removed, a lustroussurface was created with little loss of surface detail, and pores wereclosed. The oval on the viewer's right is the sprue cutoff unrelated tothe invention.

FIG. 41 shows burnishing media of various profiles 4201 bonded to awheel edge. The tool is an improvement upon the prior art of FIG. 2ROTARY BURNISHING-TOOL U.S. Pat. No. 1,010,127, in that the burnishingelements are of a variety of forms beyond steel spheres, and are affixedto the wheel with adhesives and mechanical methods beyond being lockedin races. The elements may be of any useful profile, and arrayed acrossa tool in any useful arrangement.

Electroplating

I first created the new tools to treat plated objects. As compared toabrasive polishing, the new tools remove either no, or dramaticallyless, material, leading to substantial reduction in the needed thicknessof deposited metal plate, substantially less processing time and moreefficient use of equipment, while the produced plated parts benefit fromimproved surface density and reduced porosity. The following Figuresexplain this more fully.

FIG. 42 shows an element from a decorative brass candelabra part.

FIG. 43 shows the same part being treated with a burr with fiberglassmedia according to the invention after having been immersion plated—anextremely thin, weak type of plating. With standard abrasive polishingtechniques this plate layer would have instantaneously disappeared dueto abrasive erosion.

FIG. 44 shows the finished, assembled candelabra part. The plate,although extremely thin and weakly adherent, is satisfactorilyburnished.

Enhancing Surfaces by Burnishing, Instead of Removing, Oxides

While hard, brittle oxides are removed with the new tools by adhesion,non-adherent, softer oxides such as rust are also removed. However, theoxide molecules adhering to the iron substrate remain, resulting in amore passive surface on the treated workpiece with reduced tendencytoward further oxidation.

FIG. 45 shows a sheet of the new tooling wrapped onto a sanding blockbeing used to clean the rusty surface of a sanding machine platen.Treating oxidized surfaces with the new tooling removes the loose oxideand compresses the adherent, passive, protective oxides surface oxides,leaving the surface resistant to further oxidation compared to the rawmetal surface produced by abrasive or chemical cleaning.

FIG. 46 From a photomicrograph of the FIG. 45 tool surface shown afterwork. While some residual oxide of the work remains, in contrast toabrasive media which would be eroded, the glass bead burnisher mediaremains entirely serviceable.

Fibers as a Burnishing Medium

Filaments of glass, carbon fiber and other smooth materials operate asmedia for the new tools. Fibers assembled as woven, non-woven andknitted fabrics, or made individually into spirals such as springs,present multiple burnishers to a surface in the form of many smooth highpoints. Such fibers modify the work surface according to the radius ofeach fiber at the point of intersection with the work and the resultantpressure at the point of contact. In contrast to these smooth fibers aresteel wool fibers, which are scrapers.

FIG. 47 shows a tool formed by adhering a sheet of fabric to a ground,in this case, fiberglass cloth 4701, bonded with low viscosity epoxyresin to 1 mm thick EVA foam 4702.

FIG. 48 shows a parcel treated with the tool of FIG. 48. Note theburnished quality of the treated area 4801.

FIG. 49 shows a prototype comprised of woven carbon fiber fabric 4901consolidated with resin on a 10 mm sheet of EVA foam 4902.

FIG. 50 shows the prototype of a tool comprised of stainless steelscreen mesh bonded to an EVA foam pad with low viscosity epoxy resin.The screen mesh may be of any weave and gauge. The ground may be of anyuseful material.

Smooth Media Made of Perforated and Expanded Sheets

FIG. 13 shows perforated and expanded sheets with the smooth facesbetween the openings functioning as the media. Different shape openingsand edges effect the burnishing process in various useful ways.

Unbacked Media

FIG. 51: In this tool, the medium, in this case woven fiberglass fabric,serves also as the ground. The binder is low viscosity epoxy resin.

FIG. 52: While many smooth media according to the invention are suppleat tool edges, metal screen meshes may be sufficiently rigid at theedges to damage the work. As an example of an embodiment which addressesthis issue, the edges and the corners in this prototype are wrapped toavoid damage to the work surface.

FIG. 53 shows a batt of fiberglass building insulation impregnated withlow viscosity epoxy resin to produce a tool of the new invention. Themedium, in this case woven fiberglass fabric, also serves as the ground.

FIG. 54 shows rotary tools comprised of spirals of any usable material,an example being metal spring stock. 5401 shows circumferential spirals,5402 shows radial spirals.

FIG. 28 shows a non-woven sheet of Manniglas 1900 used for insulation inthe prior art. Now, impregnated with low viscosity epoxy, the fiberglassmaterial becomes a new tool with itself as the ground.

Fabric Bias and Smooth Media Tools

The attack angle of smooth sided fiber tooling according to theinvention relative to a workpiece creates a continuum of usefulqualities, from moderate burnishing with the fibers moving parallel tothe work, to maximum burnishing with the fibers moving at 90° to thework. The effect of smooth sided fiber tooling depends on the pressureof the tool on the work, the weave, knit, or non-woven configuration ofthe fabric, the fabric's fiber density and the quantity and type oflubrication, if any, between the fiber tool and the work.

FIG. 55 shows three tools comprised of a heavier carbon fiber warp boundwith a weft of thinner material present in the cloth only to bind thecarbon fibers together. The fabric is mounted on EVA foam sheet, withthe carbon fibers parallel to the length of the tool 5501, at 45° to thelength of the tool 5502, and perpendicular to the length of the tool5503.

FIG. 56 shows a 5 cm ø brass tube divided into swatch segments andoxidized to emphasize, in the experiments below, the effect of the toolson the swatches.

FIG. 57 shows the tube of FIG. 57 being rotated on a lathe with thetools of FIG. 56 operating on the rotating tube at ˜60 M/m, which isvery slow for finishing speeds in the prior art. As explained below, tapwater was employed as a lubricant for some of these tests.

FIG. 58 shows the cylinder of FIG. 57. after work.

FIG. 59 shows the effects of the alignment of the weave and employmentof water as a lubricant. Specifically in swatches 5901 the fibers of thetool are parallel to the direction of motion, and lubricant is appliedwith swatch 5901 w (for “wet”) and is not applied with swatch 5901 d(“dry”). In swatches 5902 the weave is at 45° to the direction of work,and in swatches 5903 the direction of work is perpendicular to thefibers. Thus, FIG. 59 illustrates that that a particular tool can becustomized to a particular work according to the weave and the option oflubricated and un-lubricated work, to produce varying degrees of lustreand smoothing, and different surface patterns, according to the designand operation of the fabric burnisher. The surface oxides have beenprogressively removed because the oxides are brittle and do not flow,i.e., deform, and therefore are separated from the surface by adhesion.

Spheroids and Other Smooth Faced Particles as Media

In addition to the use of smooth fibers as burnishing media, surfaceimprovement is achieved by the use of smooth surfaced particles of anymaterial harder than the intended workpiece, examples being spheroids ofglass, zirconium, ceramic, steel, plated steel and polymers such aspolypropylene, and attached by any adhesive means such as used in theprior art to affix adhesive particles to a ground such as paper, wovenor non-woven fibers, polymer films and foams.

FIG. 60 shows 1 mm glass beads embedded in acrylic binder on a ground.My finger, left, gives a sense of scale.

FIG. 61 is from a photomicrograph of the 1 mm glass beads embedded inacrylic binder of FIG. 61.

FIG. 62 is from a photomicrographic edge view of an embodiment 6201comprised of multiple layers of glass beads 6202 on a fabric ground 6203with an acrylic binder. The resultant tool is a tough, bendable sheet.According to the binder used, the internal strength of the bead layersmay also serve as the ground, making the fabric ground optional.

FIG. 63 shows a frying pan 6301 before using tool 6201 to remove burntfood from area 6303. While the new tools improve the surface of acooking implement, waste material adhered to the surface of theimplement is dragged away from the pan surface by adhesion.

FIG. 64 shows a small section of the pan 6301 after treatment with themulti-layer burnishing tool 6201, the area 6202 having been cleaned ofthe burnt food.

FIG. 65 is a chamois cloth with spheroidal media 6501 applied to thecloth's surface.

FIG. 66 is from a photomicrograph of the glass microbeads bound to thechamois cloth of FIG. 66 with spray adhesive.

Other Embodiments

In addition to the embodiments described above, the following describetools and prototypes which, although made with a particular medium ofthe present invention, may be used with any applicable medium of thepresent invention.

FIG. 67 is a wheel type tool prototype comprised of EVA foam surfacedwith media in the form of glass microbeads.

FIG. 68 shows the surface of the tool of FIG. 67, the binder of whichhas, through work, fractured into islands having cross dimensions ofapproximately ˜1-5 mm. These islands, which remain attached to the EVAdisk ground, operate as reinforcements for retaining the spheroids onthe surface thereby extending the tool's life while allowing flexibilityat the tool's surface. The islands may also be created duringmanufacture by segmentation of the binder and media.

Burnishing media may also be secured to a metallic ground by brazing,similarly to the process described in HIGH-INTENSITY ROTARY PEENINGPARTICLE SUPPORT AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,852 A.

FIG. 69 shows a prototype sponge with spheroids bonded to the spongesurface with acrylic emulsion, after approximately six hours of kitchenuse. It is my opinion that this embodiment improves on 3M abrasive padswith sponge backing by my present invention's aggressive ability toremove soil from a surface without removing material from the substrate.

FIG. 70 is from a photomicrograph of the sponge of FIG. 70 showing therinsed sponge surface after a week used in a kitchen sink. Note thecleanliness and durability of the surface relative to sponges of theprior art.

Yet another tool of the prior art, the Blitz Silver PolishingCloth-93118WEB, is comprised of a cloth embedded with abrasives. Byreplacing the abrasives with smooth media, burnishing is achievedwithout erosion of the workpieces' surfaces as occurs with theabrasive-embedded cloths. As a result, precious metals are not removed,engraving details are not degraded, and plated films are not eroded byrepeated polishings to the point of complete removal of the plated layerand subsequent exposure of the metal substrate. Such cloths may be madeof fiberglass of other smooth fabric. Cloths of my present invention mayalso be infused with thiourea or other chemical tarnish removers.

FIG. 71 shows an embodiment for an oscillating tool with a tool of thenew invention comprised of fiberglass 7201 with a hook-and-loop backattachment commonly used in the prior art, and which is interchangeablewith pressure sensitive adhesives and other backup pad connectors.

FIG. 72 shows a fibrous tool of stainless steel mesh 7201 with ahook-and-loop back attachment (in the rear—not visible in this view)which is interchangeable with pressure sensitive adhesives and othertool-to-backup pad connectors.

FIG. 73 shows a prototype embodiment of a fibrous stainless steel meshpermanently integrated into to a standard oscillating tool backup pad.Any smooth media can similarly be integrated into backup pads. 7301 isthe medium, 7302 is a tube section which binds the medium at the toolcenter, creating the mounting lug space, 7303 is an optional tape whichabsorbs vibratory movement of the medium thereby preventingdeterioration of the backup pad foam 7304.

FIG. 74 shows the oscillating tool 7101 being used to remove aged,brittle resinous finish 7401 on a substrate by adhesion. On the left, anoriginal wood surface is covered with aged, brittle varnish. On theright, the smooth tool is removing the varnish. In contrast to the useof abrasives for this process, the substrate is unaffected or improvedby the new tool. More particularly, the brittle, aged varnish fracturesinto dust due to the varnish's adhesion to the new tool, while thefibers making up the wood of the substrate are long grained andflexible, allowing them to flex and be smoothed, but not dragged away byadhesion.

FIG. 75 shows the wood surface substrate with the aged varnish removed7501 and the underlying wood unaffected. This experiment illustrates thebeneficial use of smooth media tools as a low-cost, cleaner, saferreplacement for abrasives and chemical paint removers.

FIG. 76 shows a prototype spindle mounted wheel comprised of awheel-form ground made of EVA polymer 7601 supplying surfaceflexibility. The media is, in this case, woven fiberglass 7602. Thebinder is low viscosity epoxy which bonds the fiberglass to the wheelyet leaves the consolidated glass fiber surface exposed for work.

FIG. 77 shows a flexible edged disc 7701 with a periphery 7702 on anarbor 7704. The disk is held onto the arbor by two nut-and-washer sets7705 Due to the non-erosive nature of smooth media 7703, this tool willmaintain its original form. The core 7702 may be of any useful materialand hardness, one example being EVA foams.

Vehicle in the Form of a PSA Disk.

FIG. 78 shows a prototype of the face of a PSA disk 7801 made of glassbead media 7802 with an area with beads lost due to work 7803.

FIG. 79 is from a photomicrograph side section view of PSA disk 7801showing the 1 mm glass beads 7802 adhered to a cotton ground 7903 withacrylic emulsion, then adhered to a 1 mm foam ground 7904 with sprayadhesive.

Vehicle in the Form of a Fiber Reinforced Disk.

FIG. 80 shows a disk 8001 comprised of a semi-rigid, fiber reinforceddisk of the type manufactured by Norton Abrasives, and by the 3Mcorporation, but with fiberglass media 8002 replacing the abrasives ofthe prior art.

Replaceable Shell on a Backup Pad

Replaceable shells with surfaces comprised of smooth media are pressedor otherwise formed into compound curves to conform to standardsupports.

FIG. 81 shows an example of a tool in the form of a replaceable shell8102. 8101 is the backup wheel. The grounds of the replaceable shellsare vacuformed, pressed, or otherwise formed of polymer, metal, paper orany other applicable material. Due to the non-eroding quality of the newtools, these replaceable compound curved shells are particularlyadvantageous for this current invention. However, these replaceablecompound curved shells are also suitable for the application of abrasivegrains to their surfaces. The shells are mounted to the backup wheel byany useful means including Velcro, mechanical connectors and adhesives.

Burrs with Smooth Media

FIG. 82 shows a prototype burr with a head 8201. The head is of EVApolymer. The media 8202 is woven fiberglass bonded to the head with lowviscosity epoxy. The shaft 8203 is solid nylon rod. The fiberglass endsat the shaft are, in this prototype, bound with vinyl tape 8204. Thisburr's parts are replaceable by any applicable materials.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,547 B2 PNEUMATIC SANDING ROLL FOR FLEXIBLE ABRASIVECLOTH SLEEVE refers to an abrasive configured to be attached to apneumatic burr. Tool forms which are developments of replaceable mediacan also be comprised of smooth media rather than abrasive grains,thereby providing further tool flexibility. Generally, although tools ofthe new invention media are non-eroding, attachment systems used in theprior art to replace exhausted abrasives are useable with the new tools,such systems being PSA adhesives, mechanical center connectors and othercommon attachment systems.

FIG. 83 is a view of a prototype burr 8301 comprised of EVA foam, ashaft of aluminum tubing 8302, and woven fiberglass Bonded Burnishingmedium 8303. The shaft and the fiberglass are both bonded with lowviscosity epoxy. This view, during the model making process, shows thehead wrapped with Saran Wrap while the binder solidifies.

Because the new tools often work at low RPM's, these and other burrshapes can be fabricated as desired of a wide range of materials such asplastic foams, tubing, and other material not required to operate underthe stresses of high speed tools.

FIG. 84 shows the completed prototype burr being used to burnish theinner bowl of a silver spoon.

FIG. 85 shows the spoon treated with a new tool whereby little or nometal is removed in the process. The new tool was run at 350 RPM,dramatically slower, safer and cleaner than abrasive bearing polishinglathes of the prior art which run at 3450 RPM—ten times the speed neededfor my new invention in this trial.

Contoured Disks and Wheels with the New Tools

Consequent to the non-erosive nature of the new tools, tools utilizingmy new invention maintain their original forms which remain intact forthe life of the tool.

FIG. 86 is a prototype of contoured wheel constructed of EVA foam andsurfaced with fibrous Bonded Burnishing media, in this example wovenfiberglass. The wheel is mounted in a lathe chuck, viewer's left.

Contoured disks of the present art are improvements based on prior artproduced by Alpha Professional Tools of Oakland, N.J.: alpha-tools.com,wherein media of the new tools replace attachable abrasive disks, and awide variety of profiles and hardnesses not previously produced arepossible due in part to the slower speeds required.

Reversible Contoured EVA Disk with Recessed Center

FIG. 87 shows a reversible wheel mounted in a lathe chuck with multipleprofile contours and a recessed center, permitting work to be doneacross the wheel faces without damage to the work due to collision withthe arbor mount.

FIG. 88 shows the wheel of FIG. 88 from its opposite side relative tothe arbor.

FIG. 89 shows the wheel reversed on the arbor, allowing even greaterexploitation of the wheel's contours for work.

Lapping Wheel

FIG. 90 shows a felt lapping wheel with smooth media on a lathe. Thefelt wheel supplies a firm but resilient surface—midway between a buffand a hard wheel. The tool is made by impregnating the wheel surfacewith glass microspheres in a resin binder. My hand is holding the parcelof FIG. 92.

FIG. 91 shows a parcel of mill finish brass 9101 processed with thelapping wheel of FIG. 91. The result is the refined surface 9102.

Sewn Buff with Applied Spheroidal Media

A sewn muslin or other fibrous buff of the prior art is impregnated atthe working surface with binder, for example acrylic emulsion or epoxy,to which is applied spheroidal media, the tool operating flexibly in themanner of a muslin buff of the prior art to which polishing compound hasbeen applied. In an improvement to the standard compound impregnatedmuslin buff which are typically used at 3450 RPM, the new tools areeffective at roughly 100 RPM and upward, according to application.

Sewn Buff Comprised of Lamina Impregnated with Spheroidal Media

A sewn buff is comprised of laminated sheets of spheroidal media. As inthe prior art, the buffs's hardness at the working margin is dependentupon the flexibility of the individual lamina and the stitch frequency.

Spirally Wound Buff

FIG. 92 shows a wheel or buff comprised of a flexible smooth medium 9201spirally wrapped around a tubular core 9203, the assembly boundoptionally by stitching or adhesives or other means, and sized to fit anarbor 9204. As the wheel rotates in direction 9205, the end of the sheetis at a trailing edge 9202 shown here as optionally separated from theroll body, causing the sharp cut fiber ends to not cut the workpiecesurface. Prior art related to this embodiment are cylindrical abrasiverolls.

Wheel with a Metal Mesh Face

FIG. 93 shows a prototype for a wheel comprised of EVA foam 9401 with ametal mesh 9402. The sheet is butt-joined to the cylinder by resin orother means so to prevent sharp cut ends of the sheet from contactingthe work. The metal mesh edges 9403 are rendered non-cutting by eitherpreconditioning of the edge by burnishing with a harder material tool,or by folding of the edge away from the work surface (not shown).

Planarization Device

Embodiments of planarization devices are made by replacing the abrasivesin appropriate stages of the planarization process of the prior artwiths tools of the new invention resulting in reduced machine speeds,reduced material waste, improved electrical connectivity and prolongedtool life. An example of such a system in the prior art is POLISH METHODFOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE PLANARIZATION U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,970 B2, whichteaches “that the HSP-CMP process with the fix abrasive polishing padcan be performed to provide a planarized surface with accurate dimensioncontrol.”

Pipe Conditioners

FIG. 94 is a cross section of an Expandable burnisher Drive Mechanismfor extending a pipe's or tube's useful service life. A head 9401 withsmooth media 9402, forced against the inner surface 9403 of a pipe by aflexible pressurizable bladder 9404 fed by pressurized fluid entering asshown by the arrows 9413 though a channel 9412, rotates and/orreciprocates as shown by the arrows 9413, the head mechanism moving backand forth within the pipe as shown by the arrows 9414 to clean andburnish the inside surface of the pipe. During each cycle of theprocess, the head mechanism is held in place within the pipe by anon-rotating stabilizer head 9405 comprised of a flexible bladder 9406with an optional durable anchoring band 9407, which progressively locksthe mechanism to the inner pipe walls as each section by pressurizedfluid flowing as shown by the arrows 9408 within the stabilizer head. Atthe end of each cycle, the entire mechanism is moved along the pipe. Thehead mechanism is driven by a flexible shaft 9409 while fluid flowing asshown by arrows 9410 entering though channels 9416 flushes detritus (notshown) away from the media into the pipe beyond the head 9415, leavingthe newly serviced area 14711 clean and freshly burnished, theburnishing process smoothing and compacting the pipe walls therebyextending the pipe's useful service life.

The pressure forcing both the burnishing and stabilizer heads againstthe pipe walls is optionally operated mechanically, pneumatically,hydraulically or any combination thereof.

After the process is complete, the mechanism is removed by deflating thehead bladders, and drawing the head and the flexible shaft through thepipe from either end of the pipe.

Composite Tools

Smooth media held in a solid matrix can be of any useful configurationnow made with abrasives in the prior art, one example being sharpeningstones, and composed of any useful media of the present invention heldin matrices of resins or other suitable grounds.

FIG. 95 shows a prototype composite wheel made of epoxy and spheroids,using water as a lubricant with a test parcel 9502 held in my hand,left. According to wheel hardness and speed, lubrication, and thepressure between the work and the tool, the surface is improved by acombination of smoothing, surface compression, and material removal bycontrolled adhesion, along with the controlled removal of material freeof abrasive waste—advantageous in the processing of precious materialssuch as gold. In my experiments the removed material can be collectedand recycled directly without costly reclamation. Furthermore, since thetool's shape remains relatively unchanged during work, down-time fortool dressing or replacement is dramatically reduced.

FIG. 96 is a side view of the prototype composite wheel made of epoxyand spheroids (the various bubbles are prototype imperfections).

FIG. 97 is from a photomicrograph of the surface of the prototypecomposite wheel made of epoxy and spheroids, showing the glass beadsembedded in the epoxy. The combination of the glass bead media and theepoxy also serve as the ground.

FIG. 98 is from a photomicrograph of intersecting incised lines in aparcel before treatment with a composite burnishing wheel.

FIG. 99A is from a photomicrograph of the parcel in FIG. 98 aftertreatment with the composite wheel with water lubricant at under 150M/m. Note the complete preservation of the incised line details whilethe surface coarseness of the four quadrants of outer surface have beensignificantly reduced. The resultant surface is due to a combination ofControlled Adhesion and burnishing, making the surface lustrous whilemaintaining the sharpness and definition of the incised lines, which isuseful for improving surfaces incised with logos and other designs.

FIG. 99B is from a photomicrograph of slurry containing the materialremoved by Controlled Adhesion from the parcel of FIG. 99A. With theexception of a few glass spheroids that have broken away from theprototype wheel, the material is pure, uncontaminated with abrasivewaste as would be present with material removed by abrasives. Withindustrially produced tools of this type, the spheroids in the slurrywould be dramatically reduced or eliminated, leaving pure, recyclablematerial

FIG. 100 illustrates the section of a belt comprised of a flexible ornon-flexible fabric or film ground 10001, with parcels 10002 comprisedof a matrix 10003 with multiple embedded fibrous or spheroidal media10004, arrayed along the face of the belt so that the belt can bemounted on any belt-type device such as a belt sander and/or the face ofan expandable wheel.

Cutting Tool Tips

Yet other embodiments adapted as grounds for the present art are toolshaving forms such as milling cutters, rotary files, drill bits andflexible linked tools such as chain saw blades. With burnishers at themultiple working tips, bound using similar technologies now used forattachment of carbide cutter tips, and generally operating atconsiderably slower speeds, these tools are, in my opinion, usable withsmooth media instead of as cutters as the forms now are used in theprior art.

Composite Hand Held Tools

The heads of hand held burnishing tools such as those in FIG. 1 may beproduced more economically and with greater variability in their formsby replacing their single-burnisher ends with, for example, smoothspheroids in resin bonding material.

Composite Machine Mounted Tools

The heads of machine mounted burnishing tools such as those produced byLambda Technologies Group are produced more economically and withgreater variability in their forms by replacing the burnisher ends withcomposites comprised of smooth media. Similarly, ROTARY BURNISHERS U.S.Pat. No. 3,872,594 shows the prior art of multi-headed dental burnishersmade of solid materials such as tool steel. My present inventionreplaces these and similar tool heads with composites made of mediawith, for example, smooth spheroids in resin bonding material.

Tool for Honing of Razor and Other Blades

See prior art; RAZOR SHARPENING SYSTEM U.S. Pat. No. 8,801,501. Honingof razor blades both manually and mechanically, is done either with orwithout abrasives. The operation, machine production and cost of suchtooling is improved by the honing elements being replaced by smoothmedia of the present invention.

Foams A New Foaming Process

A simplified and less costly method for producing foams for the presentinvention is a direct consequence of the addition of smooth burnishingmedia to the foam mix. During production of a foam member impregnatedwith smooth media, the media, being smooth, is continually and uniformlydistributed in the mix by the turbulence of the aqueous solvent boilingaway in production of the foam. In an experiment, where heat wasprovided by microwave oven, a homogenous solidified foam product wasproduced in contrast to the clumping which occurs when manufacturingfoams containing abrasives, due to the jagged abrasive grains locking toone another. In the prior art, this problem required the addition ofblowing agents and metal fragments to the mix to break up the clumps ofabrasive grains and disperse them uniformly in the foam product: FromCOMPOSITE RETICULATED FOAM-TEXTILE CLEANING PAD U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,287:

-   -   . . . it contains, ‘(B) at least one blowing agent which        releases gas on heating, and (C) at least one metal powder or        metal compound, for example a metal oxide, individually, or a        mixture thereof, which has microwave activity.

FIG. 101 shows an acrylic foam block impregnated with glass spheroidswhich, during work, assumes the shape of a workpiece. Within severalhours after work on a particular shaped workpiece is done, the foam toolreassumes its original form, ready to be used on another, unrelatedshape. This memory quality allows the use of the foam tool for a varietyof specific shapes without having to use a new foam tool for anotherworkpiece.

FIG. 102 shows a magnified view of the foam of FIG. 102.

FIG. 103 is from a photomicrograph of the foam of FIG. 102, showing theglass spheroids, and acrylic binder which also functions as a ground.

Brushes

In contrast to brushes in the prior art which operate on the principlethat sharp bristles scratch with their sharp ends, my present inventionoperates as burnishers and at a wide range of velocities, the lowestspeeds being just above zero M/m.

FIG. 104 shows a ground comprised of a scrub brush of the prior art towhich media are bonded to the bristle ends 10401 with any viable binder,in this prototype, epoxy resin.

FIG. 105 shows a detail of the bristles 10401 of the brush of FIG. 104.

FIG. 106 is from a photomicrograph of the scrub brush of the prior artwith bristle tips of smooth media with the bristles 10601 with thebonded glass beads 10602.

The forms of brushes which may incorporate smooth media include amongothers; engine cylinder hones, and industrial hand and machine mountedrotary, spiral and straight brushes.

Solid Brush Bristles

Yet another method for making the new tools is with brush bristles.While brushes of the prior art use the sharpened ends of bristles toabrade materials, such as the common steel bristle brush, or sharpbristles that create fine striations in a surface, bristle ends whichare rounded and smooth create tools of the present invention, whichsmooth a surface by plastic displacement rather than by abrasion orscratching as done with the prior art.

The prior art shown in FIG. 3 clarifies this difference by showing thesharp, cutting bristle end of a common steel bristled work brush. Seealso under Definitions: ‘Scratch.’

In contrast to the prior art are the following tools comprised of smoothmedia:

FIG. 107 shows bristles of a common steel work brush altered by abrasivetreatment of the bristles' sharp tips with a 3M Scotch-Brite DeburringWheel to create radii at those tips. The resulting new tool, rather thancreating fine gouges at a surface, smooths the surface by plasticdeformation.

FIG. 108 is from a photomicrograph of a smooth ended bristle of a metalwork brush as in FIG. 107.

FIG. 109 shows a cross section of a brush comprised of a brush back10901 as a binder, with embedded glass or plastic fibers, with thefibers' tips 10902 formed so to create a spheroidal tip.

FIG. 110 shows a brush configuration common in the prior art comprisedof a handle 11001, a ferrule 11002, but with fibers comprised of glasswith spheroidal melted ends 11003 operating as tools of the presentinvention.

FIG. 111 shows a spheroid 11101 attached to a rod, fiber or bristle11102 by any means and at any scale, further attached to any matrix ortool holder 11103 singularly or in groups, the tools being hand or powerdriven in a rotary, reciprocating or other motion. In the prior art, asimilar construction is used for hair brushes to avoid abrading thescalp—a distinctly separate tool used for a distinctly differentpurpose. See HAIR BRUSH EP 0141532 B1, HAIR BRUSH US 2004/0200021 A1,METHOD FOR BOUNDING THE TIPS OF BRISTLES U.S. Pat. No. 2,587,792.

Compounds

FIG. 112 shows a prototype compound 10 cm across 11201 comprised oftallow and glass spheroidal media, on a common poly food container lid11202, for scale. During manufacture, the smooth media are mixed intostandard burnishing compound mixtures of the prior art up to now usedwith abrasive media. One example of such a compound of the prior art isPOLISHING COMPOUND U.S. Pat. No. 2,129,377. Such compounds are generallypoured into ingot-like shapes which are pressed against rotating fabricbuffs, thereby impregnating the buff with the compound which is consumedduring use and must frequently be reapplied. Bonded Burnishingburnishing compounds are cast into similar forms and similarly consumedduring use.

FIG. 113 is from a photomicrograph of the prototype Bonded Burnishingcompound of FIG. 112. In this example, the spheroids are ˜ø90-140 μm.The surface modifications achieved vary with spheroids of variousdimensions.

Spheroidal Vehicle in Cream Media

This vehicle uses flexible burnishing media in place of fine abrasivesin metal polishing creams of the prior art such as Wright's, MAAS,Brasso, Blue Magic Goddard's Simichrome and the like. Additives such asthiourea and other tarnish removers and inhibitors remove surfaceoxides, allowing the media to operate on the unoxidized metal surface.An early patent for an abrasive cream is METAL-POLISHING COMPOUND U.S.Pat. No. 548,310 A which uses the abrasive qualities of coal ash andCream of Tartar.

Spheroidal Vehicle in the Form of a Slurry

This embodiment combines smooth media with aqueous, resinous, or otherliquid and cream carriers and dispersed onto platens, faceplates,brushes, polishing cloths, polishing pads, gloves and other tools fortreatment of work surfaces such as microchip wafers and floors as wellas for treatments by manual techniques. A major advantage being thereduced erosion and waste produced. Slurries in combination withapplicable tools of my present invention differ by application fromslurries used in tumbling barrels of the prior art, wherein burnishingis already a standard practice. The slurries are often combined withtarnish removal agents:

FIG. 115 shows a test object before treatment with smooth media slurryon a glove.

FIG. 116 shows the slurry on a glove during treatment. Note the absenceof black residue on the glove of FIG. 118.

FIG. 117 For contrast, this shows a glove soiled with the black metalresidual waste produced by standard metal polish.

Burnishing Stick

FIG. 118 shows a tool made of a felt covered stick 11801 wrapped withbeaded chain 11802. Such media made of interconnected individual smoothelements can be described as both fibers and spheroids. The chain may beattached to the stick by mechanical or adhesive means.

Solid Tools

The new tools are also made of solid homogeneous material, for instanceglass, disks, bars and other shapes are laminated into groups. The worksurface of the lamina may be without a pattern or comprised of anyuseful pattern in any useful frequency, the individual elements of thepattern presenting themselves consecutively to the work throughspinning, as with a wheel, or by hand work, as done in the prior art byfiles or sharpening stones.

FIG. 119

shows a wheel lamina 11901 of a solid medium with a castellated surfacelaminated into a group 11902. 11903 shows a cross section of one type ofcastellation. Any suitable geometric and non-geometric configurations ofmultiple smooth faces are usable.

Limitations

I claim:
 1. A method of smoothing a surface of a given object by plasticdeformation, said surface exhibiting asperities, comprising the stepsof: making a burnishing tool by affixing a plurality of smooth-surfacedmembers of a material harder than the material of the surface of theobject to a substrate; urging said smooth-surfaced members against theasperities in said surface with substantial local pressure, andsimultaneously moving said tool with respect to said surface; wherebysaid asperities are reduced, and said surface is smoothed, by plasticdeformation caused by force exerted on the molecules of said surface bysaid smooth-surfaced members.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidsmooth-surfaced members are affixed to said substrate by adhesivebonding.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said smooth-surfaced membersare spheroids.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the material of saidspheroids is selected from the group comprising metals, glass, carbides,and ceramics.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said smooth-surfacedmembers are fibers.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the materials ofsaid fibers are selected from the group comprising metal, glass andcarbon fibers.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein said fibers areprovided in the form of woven cloth, nonwoven batts, wire, or screen. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate is provided in the form ofa radially-symmetric member adapted to be rotated, such that saidsurface to be smoothed is pressed against said smooth-surfaced memberson the surface of said rotating substrate.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein said substrate is selected from the group comprising papers,meshes, woven and non-woven fabrics, resin impregnated fabrics, felts,polymer films and foams, polishing cloths and plated rigid planes ofvarious materials.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said substrate isselected from the group comprising films, belts, discs, cylinders,wheels, flap wheels and brushes; non-woven pads; foam-backed cloth; andmetal wools.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the pressure at whichthe smooth-surfaced members are urged against the surface to be treatedincreased to the point that material of the surface is removed byadhesion to the smooth-surfaced members.